Originally Posted by shaw8700@outlook.com (Post 2320829)

If ever you find yourself tootling along in your golf cart, feeling rather peckish, and you pass Ay Jalisco, just keep going. Nothing to ‘eat’ here.

Originally Posted by retiredguy123 (Post 2320861)

Very mediocre food and terrible service. I asked the server if they could make the tacos with ground beef. She said yes, but brought me tacos with shredded pork, and never returned to the table. I left no tip.

I hate to say it, but the best tacos in The Villages are at Taco Bell. They use ground beef, and they have actual taco sauce. Other Mexican restaurants use shredded beef or chicken, and, if you ask for taco sauce, you get a blank stare.

Originally Posted by Randall55 (Post 2320868)

I remember going to the restaurants in the Villages for the first time. Disappointment is an understatement. After nearly 20 years living here, I cannot give you a solid recommendation. One or two items are tasty in most of the restaurants. You should try various dishes until you find something you like. Orlando and Ocala have great restaurants. The only time we dine out is when we are out of the bubble.

Originally Posted by Blueblaze (Post 2321132)

Like most folks (myself included), I see you like TexMex, not Mexican. Unfortunately, the farther you get from the Texas, the less likely you are to get TexMex. Real Mexican restaurants are usually run by real Mexicans, and that's what you usually find, when you find a Mexican restaurant 1,500 miles from Texas.

I haven't had a decent fajita since we moved here from Houston. Like Quesadilla's, it's not a dish you would find in Mexico. And I completely agree -- tacos are not improved with pork or shredded beef, much less fish! But I love fajita burritos if they're made with real grilled steak.

That said, I think Ay Jalisco is better than some of the other Mexican joints we've tried here. I'd hate to see them close.

Originally Posted by MandoMan (Post 2321264)

Lots of restaurants around here are screwing up orders. Last night I ate at MezzaLuna. My date asked for her eggplant Parmigiana with no mozzarella on top and no pasta, but it came with the cheese. Wednesday night we went to Thai Ruby and specified no rice, but they brought it on the side. It happens.

I first went to Taco Bell in 1972 and soon was eating there several times a week. However, if your idea of an edible taco is Taco Bell, I can’t trust you to judge any other tacos. Hard taco shells are not Mexican, and ground beef on tacos is not Mexican, and while I like Taco Bell hot sauce a lot, it is not like any salsa I’ve eaten in Mexico. If you read this, go to Netflix and search under Taco Chronicles and watch that enthralling documentary about the varieties of real tacos in Mexico, none made with hard shells or ground beef. Last time I was in Mexico I got to eat tacos like this every day with tortillas hand made on the spot. So delicious! Nothing at all like Taco Bell tacos, which are NOT delicious.

Originally Posted by shaw8700@outlook.com (Post 2320829)

If ever you find yourself tootling along in your golf cart, feeling rather peckish, and you pass Ay Jalisco, just keep going. Nothing to ‘eat’ here.

Originally Posted by retiredguy123 (Post 2320861)

Very mediocre food and terrible service. I asked the server if they could make the tacos with ground beef. She said yes, but brought me tacos with shredded pork, and never returned to the table. I left no tip.

I hate to say it, but the best tacos in The Villages are at Taco Bell. They use ground beef, and they have actual taco sauce. Other Mexican restaurants use shredded beef or chicken, and, if you ask for taco sauce, you get a blank stare.

Originally Posted by DrHitch (Post 2321282)

Of all industries that have to monitor social media for a firestorm, the restaurant industry faces the biggest tidal wave of negative reviews.

If you don't like the provided service or quality of the food, simply speak face-to-face with the owner/manager. There's no need to spam a negative review WITHOUT SPECIFIC REASONS all over un-social media....

Originally Posted by OrangeBlossomBaby (Post 2321213)

Ay! Jalisco isn't Tex-Mex, and that definitely might be the problem. They're South-Western Mexican, near Puerto Vallarta (Jalisco is a state). I always get the shredded beef tacos. It's more like a combination of a guisada and barbacoa - tougher shreds of beef from a stew, and sometimes there's pieces of potato in it. It's very wet, which is why I think it's probably part of a carne guisada (beef stew). Their salsa is thin, and they've changed the recipe so I think it's no longer ketchup-based (which is a western Mexican thing and an acquired taste for Americans).

It's a family owned-and-operated restaurant. Unfortunately they use a mix for their pina coladas so I can't recommend those, but this seems to be common around here.

Ground beef tacos is absolutely an American thing, not a Mexican thing. The best tacos are carne asada (marinated skirt-steak), chopped onion, cilantro, a squeeze of fresh lime and a squirt of salsa roja on a double-stack of small, made-to-order soft tortillas. You can't get good ones in The Villages at all.

There's a place I get them on 301, and they're outstanding. Two asada tacos and a bottle of Mandarin Jarittos, it hits the spot. Most of their customers are Mexican, and most of the non-Mexican customers are from somewhere in South America. Hearing them talk in Spanish with each other, with all those different accents and regionalisms adds to the experience. That and the chickens that sometimes wander through the outdoor eating area - which is pretty entertaining. It's like visiting a friend in Mexico and being served lunch in their back yard. Always a treat.

But all you ground beef taco eaters stay away, and don't take up space in line there. Stick to your Taco Bell.

Originally Posted by Ecuadog (Post 2321225)

Viva Mexico Taqueria?